Okay. So Kai and I started to write a new fanfic about an MMORPG game called Fiesta Online. I've been having writer's block later which is why I haven't been able to update KNY or PDH. Kai is the writer and plotter, while I'm the researcher, plotter, and description/battle scene schemer.
~Ryuu
Don't kill me, I'm still updating ODL for those who were hoping for an update on that. This is just a bit of a break from all that to get my ideas organized while I'm kind of in a Fiesta mood. :D
-Kai
Disclaimer: We do not own Fiesta Online, NPCs, Sam, and the quests, but we do own our characters and ideas.
Chapter 1: Roumen
"... I'm so fucking lost right now..." I groaned in frustration, crumpling up the map in my hand. Shoving it back into my brown satchel, I climbed to the top of the staircase and surveyed the town below me.
Shingled houses stood side by side, with shop owners standing outside their stores happily conversing with the crowds around them. A lighthouse shone brightly, a pale blue ship rocking in the sea. I dodged the people rushing past me, all eager to nab the best quests and items. A magnificent fountain, with four dolphins in the middle facing in different directions, sprouted from the center of the town. The most peculiar sight was a revolving mirror with a electric blue center. Smoky wisps curled out from it. I stared at it for a moment longer, tempted to ask about it, but decided to stick to my original intention: become an adventurer.
I glanced down as I saw a woman at the bottom of the staircase waving at me. I took a deep breath and made a flying leap to the bottom, skidding to a halt. I whistled and checked the soles of my shoes, wincing when I saw that they were smoking and fading away.
Which reminded me. I really needed to go shopping.
I looked up at the woman and gave her a sheepish grin. She returned it with a kind smile, her light brown eyes almost dazzling with happiness. I took a step back to study this woman better, remembering to be cautious around strangers in an unfamiliar place.
She had long, wavy, pumpkin orange hair trailing down her back, tied back by a large red ribbon. The hair framing her face were tied up in two low ponytails. Her clothes were modest: a puffed out, long-sleeved dress with a sleeveless beige trench coat over it.
"You're new here aren't you?" she said, clasping her hands together. "I've never seen you before, and I know everyone in Roumen."
"Uh..." I glanced around at the huge crowds of people in town and seriously doubted that she could name every single adventurer. "Yeah... I'm new." She tilted her head, still smiling at me, as if she was expecting something.
"... My name is Silva Yin?" I tried. There was no harm in giving out my name. She seemed kind enough, if a bit creepy, and Roumen was well-known for being the most peaceful town in Isya. That's why most adventurers started out in Roumen and not Elderine, where it was much more crowded and crime infested. Roumen also had the weakest monsters around, some of which I've already defeated on my way here, despite having zero training.
"Nice to meet you Silva Yin. I am Element Helper Remi. It's my job to help out people new to Roumen." She gestured to the people surrounding us, all muttering to themselves and wondering when they would be able to talk to Remi.
"Don't worry, they'll all wait their turn," she said reassuringly. She half turned and smiled at the group with full power.
They all backed off a few meters, suddenly interested in the clouds or their feet.
"Wonderful!" She clapped her hands together and turned back to me. I resisted the urge to inch away and returned her beaming smile with a nervous grin.
"So, Silva Yin, are you planning to become an adventurer or are you simply moving to Roumen?" The smile was wiped off my face, a more wary expression on my face. The way she kept using my full name and the questions she asked made me feel like I was in an interrogation.
"Adventurer," I answered tersely.
"Very nice," she said in a soothing tone, sensing my wariness of her. "I'll provide you with some tips that should come in handy on your journey through Isya." I nodded curtly to let her know that I was listening. Absently, I wondered how many times she repeated this speech a day. From the looks of the people still staring at the clouds, they were all adventurers as well.
Man, Remi's job must suck.
"First of all, the villagers, such as the shopkeepers, are all very friendly and whom you'll go to in order to receive your quests. Be sure to become good friends with them. This applies to other towns as well." She dug into the pocket of her trench coat and pulled out a round, dull stone. She held it out and I took it, somewhat curious. I flinched and nearly dropped it as a searing hot pain jolted through my system for a fraction of a second. The stone flashed a bright white before settling on a metallic, semi-glowing silver.
"What the fuck was that?" I demanded, jabbing a finger at the stone lying innocently in the palm of my hand. She blinked, taken back by my sudden vulgar language, and then the annoying smile reappeared.
"If you attach this stone to your weapon, it will allow you to mark a specific monster," she explained. "This way you can target one monster without accidentally provoking another. Many of the more experienced adventurers choose to fight without the stone, instead testing their worth against many monsters at once. The stone changes color according to its user."
"Uh huh," I drawled in monotone, bouncing the stone in the palm of my hand. "Anything else you need to warn me about before it burns me?"
"Here is the standard pack for adventurers." She handed me a brown pack that looked almost exactly like my own. The only difference was that it was slightly larger. "It can only carry a fixed amount of items. You can purchase a larger bag if you wish to. I've put 104 coppers in one of the pouches to help you get started."
"Is that all?" I asked, stuffing my smaller satchel into the new pack. I shouldered it and stared straight into her brown eyes.
"Yes." She nodded at my bag. "Now that you're all set to go, I will assign you your first mission to let you get to know Roumen. Go to Healer Julia and talk to her for a reward. Healer Julia can be found at the top of the staircase."
I thanked her and moved over to the side to let the other beginning adventurers talk to Remi. I set the bag down and threw all my belongings into the new satchel, and after a moment of consideration, pulled out the weapons I had brought from home. Everybody else was running around with their weapons anyways, so it wouldn't be too strange to wear them.
I sat back on my heels and admired the claws for a moment before pulling them on. They weren't the fanciest ones, but they were made in my hometown where we had rarely been troubled by monsters and the like, and as such weapons usually weren't necessary. They had a circular band for the person to slide onto their wrist, with a leather backing for the back of my hand. From it protruded three long claws. I found a niche in the backing of the right hand claw and slipped the stone Remi had given me into it. It fit perfectly, and I could've sworn that I had heard a click.
I chucked my old pack into a nearby trash can before ascending the stairs. Healer Julia wasn't hard to spot, since her appearance was rather unique, and many people crowded around her. I almost wondered why nobody in this town felt claustrophobic.
I observed the healer from a distance, waiting patiently for people to move out of my way. Her long hair was sky blue and tied up into high, wavy pigtails with her bangs swept to the left and curling around to frame her face. Her face had a somewhat boyish appearance, contradicting her clothes. She wore jester-like clothing in the colors of lavender, baby blue, and cool blue.
Finally, there was only a single person that stood in my way. Impatient to get on with actual quests, I shouldered past the boy, who yelped in protest but got swept away by the crowd.
"Hi, I'm Julia, a Healer," she chirped, a peppy expression on her face. "I sell Health (HP) Stones and Spirit (SP) Stones. Well..." She paused and stared at me.
"Silva Yin," I told her. Did everyone know everybody else's name in this town!
"Well, Silva Yin, what kind of stone do you need?" she finished, daintily bringing a hand to her face as she giggled.
"Ah... Element Helper Remi sent me here to talk to you, " I explained. She nodded her understanding and stuck her hands in her pockets, pulling out a few items to hand me as a reward for completing my "quest." I raised an eyebrow. Did everyone in town have magical pockets, or was it just these two ladies?
"Here you go!" She handed me 52 coppers and spread out five purple scrolls in front of me. "These are skill scrolls. You can use them to learn new skills, but most of them are specific to only one class. I have one scroll for each class. So are you a Fighter, Mage, Archer, Cleric, or Trickster?"
"Trickster..." I picked up the last scroll on the right and she put away the others.
"Well, now that you've completed your first quest, you've gained a bit of experience and fame," Julia announced cheerfully. "The stone on your weapon keeps track of that too. The more experience you get, the more you level up. And when you get to higher levels, you can learn stronger skills."
"And fame?" I questioned, slipping the money and scroll into my pack.
"That makes you more popular," she answered with a shrug. "I think there's other uses, but they're not at the top of my head right now."
"Alright... thanks for your time, then." I turned to leave when she called out to me.
"Do you know how to use your HP Stones and SP stones?" She pointed at a pouch on my satchel. "Remi should've given you some."
"I'll figure it out," I grin at her, waving a careless hand. I snapped my wrist back, wincing sheepishly at the woman I had almost cut with my claws. She glared at me and continued walking.
"Er... Yeah... Thanks, Julia, I think I should go now..."
"Okay, I'll talk to you later, Silva Yin!"
I wandered off down the street, wondering why the hell everybody called me by my full name. Have they never heard of last names before? First names should be sufficient for anybody.
"Silva Yin!"
"Oh, god dammit."
I turned to the source of the voice and saw a man that I had never seen before waving at me. He, like about everybody else in Roumen, had a crowd of people surrounding me. I heaved a sigh and dragged my feet over to the man, annoyed at being pulled around by adults I didn't even know.
"So who are you and how do you know my name?" I muttered impatiently, studying the old man. Despite his white hair, slicked back and tied up in a small ponytail, and mustache that indicated that he wasn't the youngest man in Roumen, his back was ramrod straight in perfect posture. He had on a lime green aristocratic shirt with blue designs, white gloves, and dark lavender pants.
"I am Weapon Title Merchant Zach," he introduced. "I sell weapon title licences for adventurers, but that isn't what I called you over for."
"I asked you a question, Merchant Zach," I said bluntly. "I'd like an answer."
"News of new adventurers travels quickly in Roumen," he replied. "We all like to get acquainted with new people."
"... But I just got here five minutes ago and I haven't even gone near this side of town..."
"Yes, well... In any case," he waved off the issue and continued on, "Silva Yin, I need your help."
"And what could you possibly need me for?" I gestured around to the higher leveled adventurers all around me. "You could ask any one of them to help."
"Ah, but they're all too high leveled for this quest," he answered knowingly, and perhaps even a bit smugly, as if he knew what I was going to ask and felt superior because of it. "They all refused to take this quest because it would not benefit them in any way, but it's perfect for a beginner like you."
I raised an eyebrow.
"... They've all already taken this quest, haven't they."
The merchant coughed suspiciously and I gave him my best 'you-are-not-amusing-me' stare.
"Well, anyways, this quest should be simple enough," he rumbled, regaining his composure. "I need you to defeat five Slimes, five Mushrooms, and three Imps."
"... Why?"
Zach stared at me as if he had never heard the word uttered before.
"Why?'" he repeated incredulously. "Are you refusing the quest?"
"No. I mean, sure I'll be glad to help out," I shrugged. "I'd just like to know why you're sending me to go kill some monsters in the first place. Sure, the monsters are probably ugly shit and scare the crap out of you guys, but nobody sends adventurers out to kill monsters with no reason. Even if it were possible to gather all of us up, we still wouldn't be able to wipe out all the monsters, so unless you give me another adequate reason, I see no reason to depart on this quest."
I'll admit, me rambling then had something to do with me being severely allergic to Mushrooms, fungi and all types of the monster both. I wanted to avoid Mushrooms at all costs, or at least get stronger so that other people would be willing to party with me and help me kill them.
"Never in all my years have I ever been asked by an adventurer why I wanted to send them on a quest," the merchant muttered to himself, tugging at his mustache. "I suppose I'll have to start explaining my dilemma before handing out quests... But honestly, most are content to simply go and receive their reward..."
I crossed my arms and drummed my fingers impatiently on my forearm. With all my heart and mind, I was thinking at him, hurry the hell up and explain this unreasonable madness to me, old man.
"The monsters have been bothering the civilians for a while now," he shrugged. "I would deal with them myself, but I'm currently busy with my work, as you can tell by all the people crowding around us, and you seemed to be free. So I thought I should send you on your first quest, and a relatively easy one at that."
"... Are you serious," I said in monotone. "That is your brilliant reason as to why I should run off and..." I cut myself off. My allergy was embarrassing if nothing else. Who's ever heard of someone almost dying from touching a mushroom?
"You said you would take the quest, so off you go," he said, shooing me away. "I have a business to conduct. I'll be ready with your reward whenever you're finished."
"Okay," I muttered to no one in particular, seeing as he had turned his back on me to talk to a customer. I sighed and wandered off, wandering how the hell I was going to do this quest.
I grunted as I hacked down my last Blue Crab. Its corpse left behind a Blue Crab Meat. Opening my bag, I counted the amount of meat I now had in total: twelve. Mission finished. Time to head back to Roumen to receive my reward.
My feet pounded the sand, sending clouds of it flying out behind me. I dodged and weaved between the Honeyings, all too preoccupied with other adventurers on a quest to hunt them down to bother with me. I leaped over a final one, ignoring its squeaks of surprise, and my feet hit the grass. I was now safely in the forest and began to slow down when I heart grunts of anger.
I planted my foot down and pivoted, whirling around to face a group of Little Hobs. They howled and raised their weapons, pacing towards me with sneers on their faces. I raised my claws, ready to fight back.
Perfect, I thought. I can complete the quest for the Despicable Little Ones as well.
I didn't give them the chance to attack first, instead activating my Lacerate skill. I leaped up and jabbed a Little Hob in the chest, my claws glowing black for a moment as I collected its soul. I heard a crunch from behind and struck out my free hand, hearing rather than seeing the enemy's head drop to the floor. I leaped back to avoid a swipe, then dashed back into the fray, taking another Little Hob's soul with a Claw Swipe, swiftly slashing through the monster.
I pulled my weapons out from the body, ignoring the blood that spurted onto my clothes, and went on to slash at the next Little Hob. Its corpse fell to the ground and I found myself facing the last one, not a trace of fear on its face despite seeing its comrades fall to the ground.
Monsters will remain monsters after all.
I took a deep steadying breath and readied my final skill. My claws began to glow blue and yellow with tints of orange, and I slashed down in an X, destroying the Little Hob with my Razor Claw before it had a chance to blink.
I wiped off the last traces of blood from my claws and adjusted my pack before continuing on my way back to Roumen to receive my rewards.
I kicked at a Slime and it gave a piteous squeak, fading into the ground. Barely giving the Slime corpse a second thought, I scooped up the HP Potion (Tier 1) that it had dropped and slipped it into my pack.
I had just been about to look for my next victim when I saw a purple walking monstrosity. With a yelp, I jumped up and dug my claws into the nearest tree, scrambling my way up to a safe distance.
I glowered at the Mushroom as it hopped around stupidly, refusing to go away. It was at times like these that I wished I had chosen to become an Archer or a Mage, something that could kill at a distance.
Fucking Mushrooms.
The portal leading to Sand Beach, composed of a couple of floating green boulders and a glowy blue light, flashed white as someone teleported into Roumen. I watched on with interest to see what kind of adventurer it would be. Being only Level 2 at the moment, despite spending so much time killing Slimes while wondering how I was going to kill the Mushrooms, I was still three levels away from being able to enter Sand Beach.
The pack on his back was a telltale sign that he was an adventurer. Judging from the curved claws on his wrists, he was a Trickster like myself. I also recognized his clothes to be that of the Trickster type: a white, wide-rimmed turtleneck with an orange and blue pattern on the sides of the shirt that reached down to the waist; black shorts with beige spikes edged with blood red and a silver buckle; two similar red belts crossing over each other which were held together by a silver diamond-shaped buckle; red and black boots with two buckles on hair was a deep blue in slicked back spikes, and from what I could tell, his eyes were brown, sharp and alert.
He ran ahead to town, slicing up the Mushroom (like Mushroom sushi, ew) without a single glance, only stopping to pick up the SP Potion (Tier 1) it left behind.
When he was safely out of sight and hearing, I dropped down from the tree with a rustle of leaves and a thump, landing in a half-kneeling, half-crouching position. I straightened up and stared at the pitiful remains of the Mushroom, the pieces dissolving before my very eyes.
I picked up some Old Spirit Dust the boy - man? He had appeared to be around my age, maybe older, in that awkward transition stage between teen and adult - had left behind and rolled it back and forth between my hands.
All of a sudden, a grin spread across my face. Maybe, just maybe, there was a possibility I could still party with someone and have them kill the Mushrooms for me.
I dropped the Old Spirit Dust next to the dissipating corpse and took off after the other Trickster.
I had been collecting my rewards from Merchant Zach when I first noticed it.
Layered, light purple hair, bored, half-lidded cool grey eyes, clothes and weapons of a novice Trickster... I had worn those clothes once. She was one in a thousand of similar women, nothing strange or peculiar about her. And I was sure I had never seen her before.
I thanked Merchant Zach with a nod and pocketed the coppers and scroll. I began to walk off to Ancient Templar Maria to finish my Blue Crab Dish quest when I heard footsteps.
Footsteps were natural. People were everywhere, and none of them were standing still. But these footsteps seemed deliberate, paced. I stopped, they continued on in a different direction for a few more steps and paused as well. I went on walking, they hesitated before following.
It might've been me being paranoid, but I trusted my intuition. My master had taught me that. I half turned and glared behind me from the corner of my eye. I saw a sea of unrecognizable faces... There. The purple-haired girl, hair so short she could've been thought of as a boy, talking to Item Merchant Pey. It could've been a coincidence, and it probably was. People in Roumen moved as they wished and it wasn't uncommon to see the same faces following you for a while.
I turned and continued on my way, ignoring the tap tap tap of underlying footsteps, always following me. When I finally reached the lighthouse, where Ancient Templar Maria stood, I whirled around in annoyance and found that the footsteps had stopped, and the girl's face was gone.
"Is something the matter?" the templar asked, and I shook my head no and handed over the Blue Crab Meat. She took it with thanks and handed over 103 coppers. I pulled out my targeting stone, a dull black with a golden light glowing from within, and watched as it registered numbers in silver script. I gained 364 experience points and 13 fame. A cyan blue ring glowed bright on the ground around me, stretching up into a hollow column. Then, suddenly, the light was gone, and the stone read that I had reached level 10.
"Finally..." I let out a relived breath. Maria heard and she asked curiously, in the way that people are bound to do. And when I answered, I was already halfway to the fountain, needing to talk to Roumenus.
"I can return to Elderine..."
It's amazing what ridiculously stupid quests they can come up with. 900 coppers in total just for listening to people talk. Parties I already knew about - who didn't? - and guilds seemed unimportant. I didn't even know what the Holy Promise was about and I was pretty sure I didn't care.
I finished up these "quests" and then continued looking for the boy with the spiky blue hair and brown eyes. I found him at the fountain, talking to the town chief. I stopped nearby and bent down, pretending to slip my shoes on properly, straining my ears. Finally, their conversation broke in on me.
"-level 10 already!" the boy growled. "Chief Roumenus, forgive my rudeness, but it's a given that all adventurers that reach level 10 are allowed to travel to Elderine."
"Zorark, I understand your eagerness, but you're one of Roumen's strongest warriors," the chief explained as patiently as he could. He interrupted when the boy Zorark, Roumenus had called him, opened his mouth to protest.
"I know that there are many more high-leveled adventurers, but you're strong and you've leveled up at a record speed. The King Slime Kingdom is rising, and we need you to help us fight."
"I can fight from Elderine," Zorark answered stubbornly. Town Chief Roumenus let out a long-suffering sigh, shaking his head.
"I'm sorry, Zorark, but I'm afraid I can't let you go until you reach level 11."
Brown eyes glared long and hard at the older man fiddling with his mustache.
"Fine," the blue-haired boy snapped. "Fine. Level 11? I'll see you in two hours."
Zorark took off, turning his back on a sighing Roumenus, and I followed, wondering why he was so desperate to go to Elderine.
Level 11, he says. Not until you reach level 11. When he had let Sam, who had gained levels even faster than I had, enter Elderine at level 10. When he had promised me that all adventurers that had reached level 10 were allowed into Elderine.
White hot fire consumed me, went straight to my fist that was clenched so tight that my nails were digging through my skin, drawing blood.
Level 10 isn't enough. Not until you reach level 11.
Fine. Fine. He wants more? I'll give him more.
I'll crank it up to the eleventh level. To the twelfth, the thirteenth. I'll take it to fifteen then thirty then seventy five and a hundred. Two hundred, two thousand, it doesn't matter. Numbers could never stop me from achieving my goal.
Nothing could.
It would be nice to have some reviews, just so we know if everyone likes it.
~Ryuu
Remember, this story was written and posted on a whim. :D Thanks for reading!
-Kai